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Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-1

Portability
91
Imaging
41
Features
55
Overall
46
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 front
 
Pentax K-1 front
Portability
55
Imaging
76
Features
82
Overall
78

Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-1 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS45
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 249g - 108 x 60 x 32mm
  • Announced January 2015
  • Alternate Name is Lumix DMC-TZ57
  • Older Model is Panasonic ZS40
  • Refreshed by Panasonic ZS50
Pentax K-1
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 1010g - 137 x 110 x 86mm
  • Revealed February 2016
  • Renewed by Pentax K-1 II
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Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-1 Overview

Below, we will be matching up the Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-1, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the ZS45 (16MP) and K-1 (36MP) and the ZS45 (1/2.3") and K-1 (Full frame) enjoy different sensor sizes.

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The ZS45 was manufactured 13 months earlier than the K-1 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic ZS45 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief overview of how the ZS45 matches up vs the K-1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS45 over the Pentax K-1

 ZS45 K-1 
Screen resolution1040k1037kCrisper screen (+3k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax K-1 over the Panasonic ZS45

 K-1 ZS45 
RevealedFebruary 2016January 2015More recent by 13 months
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")

Common features in the Panasonic ZS45 and Pentax K-1

 ZS45 K-1 
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-1 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Panasonic ZS45 provides exterior measurements of 108mm x 60mm x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Pentax K-1 has measurements of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") and a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Check out the Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the ZS45 against the K-1.

Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-1 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the ZS45 and K-1 is 91 and 55 respectively.

Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-1 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-1 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements simply by looking at specs. The visual here will offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the ZS45 and K-1.

All in all, both cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The ZS45 due to its tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Pentax K-1 will resolve extra detail due to its extra 20MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older ZS45 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-1 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic ZS45 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-1 as a Portrait photography camera
37
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
has face detection focusing
focusing manually not possible
no external flash support
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
85
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is high (36MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
includes face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS45 as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-1 as a Street photography camera
69
tilting screen
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (249g)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
70
fully articulated screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
good ISO range (204,800)
more heavy than competition (1,010 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS45 Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-1 Sports photography highlights
56
long zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
good battery life (350 per charge)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is high (36MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
environment proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
max fps very slow (4.4 fps)
not so great battery (760 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS45 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax K-1 as a Travel photography camera
71
good battery life (350 shots)
lighter than competition in class (249 grams)
MP count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (24mm)
very long reach (480mm)
no Time Lapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
53
environment proofing
sensor resolution is high (36MP)
not so great battery (760 per charge)
more heavy than competition (1,010 grams)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS45 Landscape photography advice
Pentax K-1 Landscape photography advice
48
pretty wide (24mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
good battery life (350 shots)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
no Time Lapse function
81
you can focus manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
decent sized screen (3.2 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is high (36MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
no anti aliasing filter
good ISO range (204,800)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
has dual storage slots
not so great battery (760 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS45 Vlogging details
Pentax K-1 Vlogging details
34
pretty wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition in class (249 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
screen is not selfie friendly
no external mic port
31
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have microphone jack
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
more heavy than competition (1,010 grams)
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Panasonic ZS45 vs Pentax K-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS45 and Pentax K-1
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45Pentax K-1
General Information
Company Panasonic Pentax
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS45 Pentax K-1
Also referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ57 -
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Announced 2015-01-06 2016-02-17
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 36 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 7360 x 4912
Highest native ISO 6400 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 21 33
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 24-480mm (20.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.3-6.4 -
Macro focusing range 3cm -
Total lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen size 3" 3.2"
Screen resolution 1,040 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames per second 4.4 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.00 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/200 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Built-in
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 249 gr (0.55 lbs) 1010 gr (2.23 lbs)
Dimensions 108 x 60 x 32mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") 137 x 110 x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 96
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 25.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 3280
Other
Battery life 350 images 760 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
Storage slots Single Two
Launch cost $300 $1,499